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Visit Lauderdale\u2019s Tracy Vaughan and Paul Mason, along with the U.S. Travel Association\u2019s Aimee Gabel welcomed a key group of industry VIPs to an intimate gathering in North Toronto this week and offered them a personal invitation to attend IPW 2026 \u2013 set to take place in Fort Lauderdale for the first time ever this year.<\/p>\n
Vaughan, Visit Lauderdale\u2019s Senior Vice President Global Trade Development, told the gathering of top travel advisors and tour operators that \u201cit was really important for us to come [to Canada] and to invite you [personally]\u201d to attend IPW 2026.<\/p>\n
She said that when Fort Lauderdale bid for IPW three years ago it was going through a renaissance with a new convention centre and a host of other projects.<\/p>\n
\u201cCanada is our number one market, and we want you to come and see [all the changes], she said, adding: \u201cWe\u2019re a different destination from what you\u2019ve experienced before at IPW.\u201d<\/p>\n
For his part, Mason, Visit Lauderdale\u2019s Senior Manager Global Trade Development, took the group on a trip to \u201cDiscover the Uncharted Wonders\u201d of the destination and help them understand that Fort Lauderdale welcomes \u201cEveryone Under The Sun.\u201d<\/p>\n
He turned the spotlight on the destination\u2019s new convention centre, its cruise ship port (the third largest in the world), the fact that two-thirds of the county is in the Everglades, its 4,000 eateries, 38,000 plus unique lodging accommodations, its remarkable beaches (Ft. Lauderdale Beach, Hollywood Beach and Deerfield Beach) and a whole lot more.<\/p>\n
And along the way, Mason made four key points reminding those attending that Greater Fort Lauderdale is all about watersports and water culture; it\u2019s about diversity; it\u2019s about accessibility; and it\u2019s about fun in the sun.<\/p>\n
He also reminded travel advisors about Lauderdale Loyalist which is a mobile learning and sales companion \u2013 basically and all-in-one platform \u2013 for travel advisors, allowing them to learn, promote and sell across devices anytime, anywhere.<\/p>\n
Aimee Gabel, Senior Vice President Events & Education for the U.S. Travel Association, rounded out the evening, talking to those attending about how IPW is changing just as the travel industry is and how it will continue to change moving into the future and \u201cwe want to help you find that future.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabel talked about the emphasis being placed on education that\u2019s designed to \u201chelp us all get smarter;\u201d the introduction of a new Distribution Pavilion and a new Cruise Pavilion; and a whole lot more.<\/p>\n
She told the gathering: \u201cWe want [IPW] to be more than just 42 appointments or five days,\u201d and to that end, she continued: \u201cWe\u2019re going to try to keep making IPW better.\u201d<\/p>\n
IPW 2026 takes place in Fort Lauderdale from May 17 to May 21, 2026.<\/p>\n